Arizona weekly citizen., 1887-02-19
Sf. NalenfIne's nlY.

The origin Of St. Valentines d,y as
 given by the Iuter-Oeean fin reply to Q
 correspondents query Is appropriate
 reading for this day and viii be read
 with interest:
 .'It is said that a fact m natural his- tors, tO-Wit, that birds in Southern Eu- rope nsir about the middle fl February,
 .5 tbs actual origin of the association uf [ sentimsnt with this date. There 10 DO dCu1. that the custom Og sending vGieu- { .lIcs c6E be traced in origin io H pT.U- : tice among she unsieut Ronlns. At toe ! feast of tho LCgeTcLlia, which Sas held ! the 18th of February iu honor of tho great god Pan, dsriyIsg is name from ] Ine place where it VAS held. thc Luper- | eel. so 0allec becsuss it was supposed 1 B. be the spot where tho icur-f.otcG tas- L.rfn tleF ot BOun!g8 aad RenuS nd | l.l.siered noUTi- hIcaG tl tEC lI.tle ! vHlfs-tkc names of al tho v!rGIu ] daughters Uf Rome were put h 8 lJx and drawn tneretfOm Dy the y"InR p. B, ! Each youth was bound tO offer a 't r1 tav maiden who fell to his .o;, Gnf to ! uGEe her Eis partner during inc line ct ihe feast. No doubt this custom lel to many life partnerships, 0 0bich was uu- . 35ubtedly what I's practical OTicinRtors ] desired. How thls very secular custom becsne allied to sai0t IS another mat Ger entirely. s. Yaleniins was bishop
 of Rome during the third century.
 He is reported To havo been a man of most smiable nature and remark
 able gifts of elcqueEce, go that Ec was
 very successful ID converting 'he pagan
 Romans to Christianity, For this reanon he naturally incurred the disple6sure If The Emperor, Marcus Aure lus ClGBdius. who hated and persecuted the lIrile Christian band, and he whs marty rcd by order of that ruler, first beaten with clubs and then beheaded. The dste of his death WAS Feb. IA, 21O A D. His
 bcnes are still exhibited tO the creGu-
 lous traveller at the Church of St. fTaX--
 des. ID Romes. Pops Julius erected church to this worthy martyrs memory, and the gate leading to It. which is now the Porta del Popolo, was known for several centuries as Ports Naleutini.
 Archbishop Whestiey, m his lliustTa
 tons of the Book of Common Prayer, saws that "St. Valentine wss man ot admirable parts, aud so famous for his love 6hd charity tbat the custom ot choosing valentines upon thls festival (which is still prscticed) took lts rise from thence Ii is probable that the connection of nsme came from coincl- dence of date only. When inc saint came to be placed in the calendar. hls name was given to the day of his dea'h, and this was made festival, 70 oiset that of th Lupercsiis, on the l4th. Al ban Butler, in his Lives of the saints,
 tells us thst the zealous father endeav- ored to substitute the names of salnts for those of girls in this lottery, out without success. St. FrsncIs de Saies, of Geneva, in the seventeenth century attempted a similar reform. ordering the drawing of the names of saints ana hoiy men whose virtues were ue- serving of imitation. Some initiating saiot IS & more difficult task thsn dsnc- ing attendance on a pretty girl, we csn moi be surprlsed that the innovation dii not take" among the young men oI Geneva. By some means the custom scund it's vBy into Great Butsin-pr"u, sbIy Cesar's soldiers introduced it-and
 uas for many centuries m high ibV'I l,oth in England and Scotland. We tuI mention of it at as early date ns i44o and many times subsequently,. li Wls called "chusing valentines; proOaug because there WAS no cD'ice 'H " matter. Here the young men ss well hs fbo voupG women wrote theIr names on i,,lets Co be drawn by toe opposite sex. T,,us each had two valentines, :he enc
 xhich he had drawn. and inc one to
 yboss lot he had fallen, and we efe toIi if was the custom Of me yours nan to prefer the former hnd 10 relieie 5,,,,.elf from all obligations to ths IsI Ter by . gift. Fortune having thus u,. ,idei the company into couples, II S' expected that the young men Touia us vote themselves for certsln iengtn " i;n,e to attendance on the maldens giNem than. a sport winch often epds ID l''s. on old writer says. "ss mIRht ne eAieIS o5" Indeed, mRtrimony might W chosen by the young man from m.,l'ss r,T ,.cnDcmy, for he wac e1pec'ed ,I &
 ia-;sh I' of gifts to his "vslentine. Nsny !,,beI customs of medieval and iale. .;r,es might be noted, nll ha1ng ms lh f.-Se 1-l sdmixture of sentiment, Nhlcn' ,,"Snsstionably of purely secular, .set ,
 agan origin, has become by acciusIhs .Iis flied ID nsme Co Q holy ssin' ei 'Ne church.